Nope. Aside from the logistic nightmare and financial bind (with flights) it provides, it doesn't make any sense. Why go from West Africa all the way to India, only to backtrack to Europe for 3 legs (at least)?

Perhaps the RB is to collect a bunch of items for different people, like a scavenger hunt. It would certainly be easier then some of the African roadblocks (both South African legs come to mind, especially TAR 7).

I am thinking they have to complete some sort of a shopping list which requires them to navigate the market. (Didn't Gretchen have to do something similar?) So far I can see the cloth pieces which are used as skirts/turbans/baby slings draped over the handlebars (kangas in Kenya but don't know what they are called here), the leaves, some sort of box tied to Vyxsin's back wheel, and more so it must be quite a list!

I wish we could spot the market! It isn't Koudougou--that one is new. Ouagadougou not possible as this seems more rural. I guess Bobo is the same--and if they don't go there--then they won't be feeding their chickens to the fishies either.

So we need a rural market right off a road--If we could find this market... Would Bingo--a town of only 2000--be able to support such a market? I think they are somewhere else.

Places it isn't: Ouagadougou market:

Koudougou market:

Logged

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

'you arrive, you're assailed by kids from whom you buy a live chicken at a sacrificial price, it's fed to a croc which lumbers out of the water and photos are taken of you, them and, grinning the widest, the croc'. So, prepared for a real tourist trap we tentatively drove into town - but where were the kids assailing us with their live chickens? I think we must have picked a very quiet day because it was all we could do to find one guide. We duly paid our money, the guide went off to get the sacrificial live chicken (I didn't think the chicken would really be alive, but alas it was) and we followed him to the edge of the lake, cameras in hand. They did a bit of taunting and dangling of dead chicken parts, just to get the crocs interested I'm terrified, honest!and lo and behold before we knew it there were about 4 or 5 basking on the edge of the lake. We were busy watching & snapping the mummy croc and her babies - or snapping their snapping jaws which were pretty awesome, when a big old grandfather croc shot out of the water and slyly took the live chicken in one mouthful, when everyone's backs were turned. Busy filming with the camcorder, I let out an almighty scream and turned my journalistic attention to the ghoulish matter of filming the poor chickens last seconds, of which I am not at all proud! We then did the obligatory pics of me and croc and Neil and croc (hope to be loading some piccys tomorrow folks) before we departed. We met, quite by chance, an english woman and her french partner who had bought some land from the chief of the local village and were busy setting up a campsite for travellers on the edge of the lake. It was in its very early stages, otherwise we would have spent the night, but it was fascinating to learn from her all about the special relationship the villagers enjoyed with the crocodiles. Live action shot!We were astonished at how close the local kids were playing to the lake and she explained that the crocodiles had never been known to harm any of the villagers and that was why they, in turn, continued with the live sacrifices.

Pros: Crocodiles are more fun than catfish--and you get to sit on them!

It is MUCH closer to Bingo and eventually Ouagadougou for the flight out.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan